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Alex

I’m shocked by what Wright said about Mesut faking his illness: it is insulting the player and insulting the club accepting this. This guy, no matte what he did when on the pitch, should truly stop putting discredit on his club just for the sake of earning his huge pundit’s salary if he is supposed to still respect it!

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2 years ago

goonero

If you think Wright is trashing Arsenal or Ozil for a buck then you don’t know Ian Wright and what Arsenal means to him. If you want to believe that Ozil isn’t really ill, that’s your prerogative, but suggesting someone else is being disingenuous because they don’t believe what you do is childish.

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

I don’t think Ozil is thanking it but equally it’s unfair to suggest Wright is just stirring shit up for a payday!

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2 years ago

Shkodran Goals

I don’t like to think Wrighty is just stirring for a payday either, but if you look at the media right now, they are all on us. All up on Wenger, Ozil and Sanchez contracts because most of us fans are pissed and they are just building on that and stocking the rage. It’s all for a buck though and that’s part of what Wright is doing whether intentionally or not

Wright’s job is to comment on these issues and his voice carries more water considering who he is to us. And I really don’t think it was necessary for him to suggest that Ozil decided to play sick because for me when the going gets tough, we stick together not add fuel to the fire like he did. Oh well, he’s a lousy pundit to me still, not just this but most of the things he says about other teams and stuff… It’s mostly rubbish or outdated.. Past it for me.

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2 years ago

GunnerYY

Ozil, having a good time to play bowling at night and then have a flu the day after, needless to say he got a permit to spend holiday in turkey a week before, what a joke.

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2 years ago

Rogerbij

No bust up… Wenger always protects his players from the press hoards.

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2 years ago

Don

I don’t remember any other player in my time watching football that has been out with ‘illness’ more than Mesut Ozil. This season alone he has missed about five games from being sick, be that a cold. flu or otherwise. The average person wouldn’t get that sick that frequently, Gunnerblog aside. Something seems more fishy about this. Perhaps he’s been dropped but Wenger will not openly state it, or else, like with Sanchez, there has been a bust off of sorts and the player is throwing a strop, which I think seems more likely.

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2 years ago

Gooooooooooooooooona

He’s soft. I imagine him waking up with a little headache or a bit of a cold and just staying in bed all day. I don’t want to see him play for us anymore. I’d be very happy to bench him for the rest of the season and use him as a squad player, and sell him on the cheap at the end of the season to psg or wtv foreign morons that would buy him.

Time to stop playing 4-2-3-1. We need 3 men in midfield, I don’t care who, I don’t care how, but I’m sick of us losing out in midfield and looking like we don’t know how to play football.

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2 years ago

David C

Ozil, for all his great qualities, has to be one of the softest players around. But if we are going to sell him then you need to show case him to drive up the value. He seems like the type of player to miss a game because of a hang-nail and, sadly, we have way too many similar players. Kos turns his back on shots all the time, Walcott jumps away from tackles, Giroud is almost always flicking his hand and rolling around the ground….then we bought a real tough player for once (Xhaka), but found out he can’t tackle…

I’m not sure if it’s the signings or lack of pressure from the coaches, but our team is soft. Remember when other teams feared us? Our physicality helped secure many points back in those days.

Would a more tactful and forceful coaching personality bring back some of that missing toughness? Wenger is usually only concerned with mental toughness, but I digress…

I think same,but Mr Wenger should just resign or retire at the end of the season before he kills all arsenal fans

.

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2 years ago

Gooooooooooooooooona

Oh please get off your high horse and don’t label me by anything if you don’t know me. If you read the comments on this site regularly, you’d know that I don’t reach quick emotional conclusions and I always explain my points thoroughly and support it with actual facts not just bs.

There’s no one that loves Ozil as much as I did and still kinda do, I named my pet after him just this season (2 days before his hatrick against ludagarets, what are the odds!!).

I actually don’t think it’s his fault that Wenger didn’t drop him in the last two months, it was so obvious he needed to be taken out of the firing line, but Wenger has created this atmosphere where if you play well Wenger will keep faith in you even if you have a poor game and will keep playing you until you can’t get anything right. So if he were to drop Ozil earlier then it would be such a huge deal, which is bs. Guardiola, Conte, and the Portuguese scum play the squad that is best fit for the opponents.

Anyways my point about Arsenal. Name one successful team today that plays 4-2-3-1. Or name me 1 successful team that plays with 2 central midfielders (disregarding the ones that play with 3 center backs because they’ve still got that defensive solidity. It’s just so stupid for us to always be outnumbered in midfield. It’s time to get real.

And tell me Ozil is not soft, you can’t argue that. Doesn’t mean he’s a bad player, he’s just not a premiere league player. He’d probably kill it in La Liga, Budesliga, or Ligue 1, and I’m sure one of those top clubs in those leagues would love to have him. So I think it’s time we cashed in on him (sell him on the cheap abroad if we have to, hes made his transfer fee back and more by now so no excuses for selling him to a direct rival).

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2 years ago

janeymcjane

I named my cat after Nigel Winterburn, she’s a girl so answers to Winnie. Her sister was called Dixie after Lee but she died young …

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2 years ago

Ya Da

Ozil is a little bitch

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2 years ago

Crash Fistfight

I’ve had three colds since last July and two of them have lasted more than a week and I don’t consider myself sickly. It’s not that unusual, surely?

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2 years ago

Doug

I think the timing was odd. He was well enough to go bowling with the squad (and all smiles in the pictures) but couldn’t play the next day?

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2 years ago

Vonnie

He didn’t look particularly well in the picture, he’s not been right since January.

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2 years ago

Tasmanian Jesus

Never know. Ive been sick a lot more than usual this winter. 3 times Ive had to be away from work just since November. And each of those periods have taken what seems like an eternity to go away completely.
So, it happens. I guess.

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2 years ago

PFo

Yes, because it’s medically impossible for a human being to get the flu or a similar illness more than once year.

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2 years ago

Stayne

4-3-3 Xhaka Ramsey Ox pivot winner
Come On!

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

Not sure why this has so many dislikes, what are the alternatives? We surely can’t go back to 4-2-3-1 now, after the last couple of games. The 4-3-3 will help us press and is more ideal for counter attacks, Ox and Ramsey/Iwobi would have to be disciplined though. Would be tempted to swap out Xhaka for Elneny though, partly due to form but also Elneny is that much more mobile.

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

actually, Elneny might still be injured…

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2 years ago

Frank

If the newspaper reports are false then leaving Sanchez on the bench was a far more ridiculous decision. Having said that I’d expect Wenger to say they’re false even if they’re not.

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2 years ago

Change

I think we really need to start the front 3 as Perez – Giroud – Welbz. Lets play Sanchez in Ozil’s role. Then we can have a Xhaka and Ox/Rambo midfield with Sanchez actually dropping in and supporting them when we don’t have the ball.

Iwobi should be rested, the kid needs that for his development. No spot for Theo in the 11 as he hasn’t produced enough for me in recent weeks.

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2 years ago

gordy

As a manager who is famed for looking after young players why on earth is he running Iwobi into the ground?

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2 years ago

David C

Like how Giroud and Griezmann starred for France! Sanchez would be great in that role especially when you consider how much he tracks back.

Hey Jack, I have been looking for the words, and hey presto, you said it, succinctly.
Well done.

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2 years ago

gooner

why the fuck is Wenger starting iwobi in every match. he still needs more development and sub role would suit him. it doesn’t need to be a manager to know this.

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2 years ago

Smeirf

Cause he is as persistent as they get, He’s so into proving people wrong about Iwobi, no matter the results or the performances. We have seen this countless times when he chose to start with not good enough players (Denilson, for example, 96 PL appearances!) or counting on players who everyone beside him knows that they just can’t stay fit (Diaby, Cazorla this season…).

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2 years ago

Chamakh

Been thinking the same but what other options does he really have if we are to have any chance of keeping the ball?

Maybe
Back 4
Xhaka-AML-Ox
Lucas-Welbeck-Alexis

But would be a huge risk to start AML. Maybe Ramsey if he is fit but then we would only have Xhaka in midfield who is good at passing and keeping the ball. Ox is up and down.

I think Iwobis ability on the ball is the main reason he is in the starting eleven.

Coquelin is so out of form that should barely make the bench. If wenger subs you off at half time you have to really suck.

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2 years ago

Godfrey Twatschloch

It feels more and more like there is a Year Zero approaching. Heads might not quite roll but with Wenger moving on we might be seeing a few old faces move along as well.

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2 years ago

Nordin

Both Özil & Sanchez will not be playing. Who starts then? Probably Giroud upfront with Welbz & Ox on the flanks. Iwobi again in No 10.
Midfield Xhaka & Ramsey (only change)
Back 4 same. Gk is Ospina.
Not sure what to make of that…but the boys must have a go!
Please dont bring Sanchez in regardless of the results…Perez, Walcott probably.

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2 years ago

Chamakh

Hoping for Lucas on the right or as a second striker behind Giroud.

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

I’d either go with Welback–Sanchez–Walcott or Sanchez–Perez–Welbeck up top, Ox and Ramsey/Iwobi at CM and Xhaka at DM, 4-3-3. We can’t just sit back like last time, like against Chelsea and Pool and City, we need to get in their faces and fight for the ball in midfield! We also need to get the ball out to the flanks quickly to beat their press and make use of our pace, the 4-2-3-1 isn’t great for either of those

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2 years ago

Herewegoagain

It’s not the getting at them that worries me – it’s what happens when they get the ball back and get at us at twice the pace. ?

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

That’s when we clatter them and take the smart fouls when we have to, instead of letting them mug us off like the muggiest of mugs (cf. Coqulein on Hazard, 4th Feb 2017)

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2 years ago

loose_cannon

Of course, if we have the ability to press them properly we could probably stop most of their potential counters fair and square. Big if, of course

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2 years ago

Donald's Trumps

Can’t we forfeit it?

We need all week to prepare for mighty Lincoln in my opinion.

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2 years ago

Santori

Where’s your fight?

These are opportunties rather than things to dread.

Damage has already been done so its all upside. May as well go for it and see what we can do (or not)

What I’d like to see is Wenger try something different for a change.

Lucas starting rather than Walcott again. Also tweak the midfield relationships a bit.

If the mediocre Liverpool side that won the CL came out second half with the same attitude that they could not come back from 3 nil down first half, they would have come out with nought.

If our team had the sort of mental gumption as some of our fans, we would never even make 4th place as a minimum.LOL.

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2 years ago

Tasmanian Jesus

Would be kinda fun if Wenger replied ” fake news!” When asked one of these questions.

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2 years ago

Santori

We have to tweak the relationships/positioning in midfield to get anything.

As I have mentioned before, either of Ox or Coquelin next to Granit must not stay too flat with the Swiss.

Granit needs to work out a relationship as an advance apex of a triangle in concert with the two Cbacks.

This will allow the fullbacks to cover slightly wider (we were far too narrow against Liverpool)

The fullbacks of course will also need to have a bit more support from both wide men which was also a problem against Liverpool.

I think if Ox partners Granit, then maybe we should have Alexis in the hole with the power of Welbeck out left, the experience and craft of Lucas on the right. Forget about Walcott. Put him in much later if need be. Also Iwobi who is a great talent but the occasion may be a bit too much.

Up top, put Giroud in to play in the attacking line of Welbeck-Alexis-Lucas

We need players with experience, a bit of fight but also a bit of gumption about them.’

Mustafi did well against Liverpool I thought. I’m not sure why he is constantly being criticised when Koscielny gets away with making equal amount of mistakes. BOTH Cbacks (as mentioned with Granit) will have to be switched on.

Ox (or Coquelin) need to press at the Bayern midfield higher WITH Alexis and the wide men. In the first leg, we were far too timid. You could see Alexis urging Ox and the others to press higher but the midfield sat back afraid of conceding space behind them. This ceded possession and initiative to a very good passing Bayern side which we could ill afford to do. Far better IMO to press as a unit and force them into mistakes closer in theri half.

When we withdraw and try to defend deep and narrow, we are asking for it.

The other thing we HAVE to watch out for is to charge them down early and ensure that they do not send balls into the box. Anytime, we allow this, the pressure will eventually tell on the CBacks.

Lets go and do something with this one instead of feeling it an impossible mission.